Guide To Owning An Adult Toy

We like to share with you our absolute favourite toys and gadgets out there, but we’ve never discussed how to care for your toy once it has arrived. Proper care is essential for owning a toy as it keeps things hygienic and prolongs the life of the toy.

Cleaning your toy isn’t just running it under some warm water and shoving it back under your bed. To maintain your toys, there is some step by step rules to follow that are pretty straightforward and easy. Depending on your toy, the cleaning and storing method needed may change so we’ll break them down into sections.

Before use

Before using your toy, you should ensure that there are no tears or breaks and that if a motor is used that it’s still working correctly (listen out for it overworking). This step should be carried out after every use and clean, but we know things can get a little hot at the moment, so it’s easy to forget this step.

The next step is especially important if you’re using a waterproof toy, as you want to make sure the rubber seal is still intact. If everything is okay with your toy then using a freshening wipe is an excellent way of making sure that its extra clean and no crumbs/hairs etc have found their way in there, more so if you keep all your toys in one box. Checking over non-porous toys to see if they contain any grooves that may indicate that its no longer non-porous is essential, as you will either need to dispose of your toy or change your cleaning and usage method.

During use

Taking a simple step during the use of your toy could save you years on your toys life, and we’re all about prolonging the life of our favourite toys, so ensuring we do so we need to be picking the correct lubricant for the type of material your toy is made from. This is because some lubricants can deteriorate the material used when mixed, such as using silicone based lubricant on a silicone toy, this is why it’s important always to follow manufacturers instructions.

If reading the small print isn’t your style we do have a lubricant guide and general guides on different toys so you can take a quick peek on your lunch break to save you the hassle.

After use

After you’ve used your toy, it’s essential that you clean it, depending on the material used will depend on the method.

Non-porous materials

Silicone – Before cleaning, please remove all batteries and make sure you’ve checked that it’s still waterproof. Using hot water and your prefered sex toy cleaner, gently wash over your toy, ensuring you get into all the gaps. If your toy doesn’t contain batteries or electrics, you can place it in a dishwasher, or boiling water to disinfect it.

Glass – Glass toys are typically made from pyrex so can take very hot temperatures, so boiling your toy is a great way to clean them if made from Pyrex. Using the same method as silicone (warm water and special cleaner) is still just as effective.

Steal – Another material that is heat resistant; you can follow the same previous steps to clean toys made from steal.

Once you’ve finished cleaning your toys, please allow them to air dry, or use a clean towel to pat them down before storing them.

Porous materials

These are materials such as leather, hard plastic, rubber, and acrylic. Rather than split these up into separate materials we can keep them as one as you clean them all the same.

Due to the nature of the material if they come in contact with extreme heat they’ll warp, so using a toy cleaner and some warm water you can clean these thoroughly in your sink with the same output as non-porous materials. Just ensure that you wash all areas and allow to air dry or dry with a clean towel.

If you want your porous toy to last longer and keep extra clean, use them with a condom.

Storage

It’s just as important to store your toy correctly as it is to clean it, don’t put all your toys in one box if they aren’t covered independently, this is because materials can react with one another, but also bacteria may be passed from toy to toy. Most toys now come with their own storage bag, so there really isn’t an excuse anymore. If you don’t have a storage bag for your toy, you can wrap them up in a clean cloth, or have separate smaller boxes for them to go in.

If you’re worried about someone stumbling upon your collection you can also get lockable storage boxes that are specifically made for adult toys; they also include an antibacterial lining to help keep your toys nice and clean.